Livni: Israel No Longer After Peace

Former foreign minister Tzipi Livni says that her successor’s recent remarks mean that from now on, Israel will be an obstacle to the peace process.

Livni, who was the country’s top negotiator in peace talks with Palestinians, said Thursday that new Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s position on the 2007 Annapolis deal “showed the world that we are not a partner [for peace].”

She said Israel was always complaining that there was no partner for peace on the Palestinian side, but Lieberman’s remarks would in fact make the international community perceive Israel as the main obstacle.

Livni’s remarks came a day after ultranationalist Avigdor Lieberman, said that Tel Aviv was not bound by the 2007 US-backed Annapolis deal, under which Israel agreed to the creation of a Palestinian state.

“What happened yesterday is that the Israeli government announced that Israel isn’t relevant, isn’t a partner,” Livni told Army Radio.

She said far-right parties with hawkish policies have in the past avoided peace efforts with the “pathetic excuse” that there was no partner on the other side. “From today, Israel has announced that it is not a partner,” she said.

In an interview published on Thursday, Lieberman also ruled out any Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights in exchange for peace with Syria.

“There is no cabinet resolution regarding negotiations with Syria, and we have already said that we will not agree to withdraw from the Golan Heights,” Lieberman told the Ha’aretz daily.

A political source close to new Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also confirmed that Lieberman’s remarks largely reflected the premier’s position, Reuters reported.

Lieberman’s remarks about the peace process come while the US has repeatedly insisted that it will remain committed to a two-state solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

US State Department Spokesman, Gordon Duguid, said on Wednesday that “the Obama administration is committed to seeking a two-state solution for the resolution between differences between Israel and the Palestinians.”